Rocky Mountain Sam — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

40 Rein te ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAM. the battle that had taken place, and request military assist- ance for the ranch at once. ‘Sam was to return to the canon with the White Hermit in his balloon, and in the morning set out with him on an aerial voyage to co-operate with those below in prosecuting the rescue of the fair captive. ‘“‘Won’t there be room enough in the car for little Fay- away, too?’ asked Sam, as he began to make his hurried preparations, for it was rapidly growing dusk, and they would have to make haste to effect a safe landing on the other side of the mountain wall before total darkness set in. “Yes,” said the professor; ‘‘she will make the fourth passenger, counting in our Teddy, who must have got drunk, for I haven’t seen him about here for an hour; but Fayaway is a light weight, and we have plenty of ballast to lighten up with if necessary. “Why not stay over night, and make the ascent to-mor- row morning?” said the colonel, thoughtiessly. ‘Because, my dear sir,” said the professor, wagging his old head with the overweening consciousness of superior wisdom, ‘‘my balloon would then be empty, and from what gaseous reservoir could I replenish it? You see, all my vol- canic gas-works—the sublime laboratories of nature, sir, are on the other side of the ridges, and as the mountains won’t come to Mohamed, Mohamed must go to the mountains. Now, when I crossed the icy barriers of the Antartic Ocean in 9) “Allright,” interrupted the colonel. ‘Go to-night, then, by all means. Come, we'll go out, and see you off.” ““Jist as I expected,” said the old man, looking into the car, when they all came out around the balloon. ‘‘Here he is as drunk as a boiled owl. ‘Teddy, wake up, wake up,” he cried, punching with a long stick into the basket, as though he was stirring up an opossum or raccoon. The somnolent subordinate was aroused with some diffi- culty; the professor, Sam, and Fayaway sprang into the car; the anchor was drawn in; and, after discharging a large quantity of the ballast, the great balloon rose slowly and majestically into the clouds, still rosy with the setting sun, and drifted away over the lofty mountain peaks. A few words-of explanation are necessary here; and they shall be as brief as possible, in order not to distract the com (‘@) 200k cS (ee) nm